All Hat No Cattle
by KaNaKiRa7325
Summary: When push comes to shove, Double D is forced to come to school... without his hat! Kevin promises that he will be there for him every step of the way, but is he getting too distracted by Edd's new found adorkable-ness? After an unexpected turn of events, Kevin finds himself wishing he had just let the boy wear his goddamn sombrero. Jealous!Kev. Oblivious!Edd. KevEdd. Fluff abound.
1. Chapter 1

"_Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat.__"__  
__-__Ben Hecht_

It was crisp Monday morning in the sleepy suburbs of the cul-de-sac. Considering how usually loud and rambunctious the neighborhood was, the fact that one could hear the soft chirping of the birds flying overhead was almost miraculous. Being it a Monday and all, it was just the day to feel lazy and sleep in. Most of the residents were doing such; their soft snores were a rather fitting background to such a peaceful setting. However, one could spot a certain redheaded cap-wearing jock standing adjacent to someone's house with his red motorcycle in tow.

Kevin upstretched his mouth into a long drawled out yawn. Ever since he had offered to become Edd's ride to school every day, he had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning just so his punctual boyfriend could follow his ridiculously strict schedule. Of course there was baseball practice but it was offseason so there really was no reason for him to be getting up so early in the morning.

Except for Edd.

Kevin remembered a time when he had 'pulled an Eddy' and arrived at his spot in front of Double D's house at around 15 minutes later than the specified time; he then found a note stating how a slightly peeved Edd had gone ahead of him.

'He's cute when he pouts but I wouldn't want him to blow me off again.' Kevin thought as he yawned once more. He checked his watch.

_7:01._

'Huh. He's usually out by 7.'

"Yo Double D! Are you ready yet? We're gonna be late for school you know?" Kevin yelled into the open door of his boyfriend's house. He was kidding of course. They were an hour and a half early but he knew how easily miffed Edd became when it came to his own punctuality. Besides, he really wanted to see his boyfriend now. They haven't seen each other since Saturday, all because of dumb Eddy and his dumb scams that apparently required HIS Double Dork.

'It's my moral obligation!' Kevin remembered Edd say.

When no immediate response came, Kevin opted to check inside the house but stopped midway when he heard a voice call, "Yes, just a minute!"

He heard shuffling inside the house, to which he raised an eyebrow, but he had nonetheless sauntered back to his motorcycle.

_7:02._

All of a sudden, Kevin's internal clock had started to tick. Over the course of their relationship, Kevin has developed this new sense of time in which every second of every minute seemed to make all the difference. Maybe he was spending too much time with the dork but the more his proverbial clock had ticked, the more his worry grew. He turned away from the house and that door that seemed to be calling out to him. He tried to calm his nerves.

'Relax Kev. He said he'd be out in a minute.'

_7:03._

'Dammit, where the fuck—'

"I apologize for the wait Kevin!"

Kevin sighed in relief as he turned to face his boyfriend.

"Shit Double D did you fall or somethi—"

His relief was short lived as he was greeted with a sight that was quite…strange. Edd stood there in front of him wearing his usual attire; the fresh and neatly pressed blue polo shirt under the brown patterned cotton sweater(that was just a size too big for him), the black jeans that hugged his thin long legs, his shiny polished 'Monday Mocassins', his ever trusty brown satchel hanging by his shoulder. And…

"Kevin, language please."Edd said as he walked past the carrot top trying to pretend as if all was just with the world. Secretly he was just hoping and pleading Kevin wouldn't ask why.

"Edd."

Edd seemed to have stiffened at the mentioning of his name.

"Y-Yes Kevin?"

"Why are you wearing a sombrero?"

From where Kevin stood, he wasn't able to see the bright red slowly creeping up to Edd's cheeks. Edd shook his head.

"W-Whatever do you mean Kevin? Th-This is my usual headwear is it not?" Edd said in a shaky voice as he tried to feign innocence. Kevin wasn't having any of it.

"Edd. You look like you're about to go to a festival."

The redness of Edd's cheeks had spread from across his face to his ears and down to his neck.

'Oh I knew trying to act above suspicion wouldn't work.' Edd thought to himself.

At this point Kevin had given up on trying to get some answers from the quivering boy in front of him. Kevin moved around so that he could properly face him. He tried (he really did!) not to laugh at the sight of the resident genius wearing such a ridiculous hat. But a chortle had escaped his lips before he could stop it.

Kevin's hand flew up to his mouth but this little sound had unfortunately reached Edd's ears and had made the smaller teen pull down his sombrero in utter embarrassment. He let out a barely audible whimper. Kevin immediately felt guilty for laughing. But it was really hard to not feel so amused when his boyfriend was acting so freaking adorkable.

While Edd was obscuring his vision with the hat, Kevin had taken the opportunity to try and calm himself down, pushing down whatever form of guilty pleasure he was feeling to the very back of his mind. He shook his head before looking at his boyfriend endearingly.

'God I love this dork.'

Ever so gently, Kevin had taken Edd's trembling hands that were clamping down hard on his sombrero into his own. The gesture had done a lot to calm the boy's nerves as his tense shoulders visibly eased up. Kevin's slightly larger hands enveloping his smaller ones had always had that sort of soothing effect on Edd. He had dared to look from under the hat only to be greeted with a warm smile from the taller boy. Edd didn't know what exactly it was about Kevin's smile that was so… _enchanting_ to him. He seemed to be under a peculiar spell. Maybe it was how the rising sun behind him had further outlined the frames of his face in a strange warm yellow glow. Suddenly he wasn't so concerned about the sombrero resting upon his head as he was trying not to melt under Kevin's soft but intense gaze.

The blush on his face was no longer because of embarrassment.

Once Kevin had been able to look properly into Edd's wide cyan eyes, he took his time to gaze fondly at them. Edd could have sworn the smile on his lips grew wider. Unable to stop himself any longer, Kevin lifted Edd's chin up, and careful not to poke his eyes with the sombrero, planted a soft tender kiss on his lips. To which Edd had complied without any restraint. When Kevin pulled away, Edd had let out a small whine. Kevin chuckled.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you're wearing that?" Kevin asked as he leaned on the fence of Edd's house. He pointed at the sombrero resting on top of Edd's head.

Edd started getting embarrassed again but at least it was not as fervently as before.

"K-Kevin, please refrain from leaning on the fences. Mother had just gotten them repainted last Saturday you know." Edd said, a light blush adorning his face. Kevin rolled his eyes at Edd's attempt to escape the subject.

"What happened to your ski cap?" Kevin said continuing to lean on the fences. He watched his boyfriend sigh, wondering if it was because Kevin had blatantly ignored what he said or if it was because Kevin asked that question.

"Well, you see, it's quite the mishap really…" Edd started. "Oh, but Kevin, we are already running behind schedule."Edd checked his watch; _7:10._

"Might we continue this conversation on the way to school?" Edd pleaded Kevin with begging eyes.

Kevin took one look at those eyes and caved. He wanted answers. And he wanted them now. But damn it. How could he say no to that face? Kevin sighed.

"Fine, Double Dweeb." Kevin said as turned to his motorcycle. Edd beamed at him happily making Kevin look away and blush.

Kevin started up the engine of the bike earning a high powered reverberation from said vehicle. He proceeded to give Edd his helmet when he was reminded of that one little detail he wasn't particularly keen on. Edd was about to take the helmet from Kevin's hands when he suddenly withdrew it back. Edd glowered at the redhead.

"Kevin, this is no time to—"

"Lose the hat."

Edd seemed to have stiffened at that. When he made no move to comply, Kevin repeated,

"Lose the hat, Edd."

"B-But, Kevin! I-I can't possibly… I-I mean, what if something were to— What if our peers—!"

Edd seemed to ramble in place, trying to spew excuses Kevin knew translated to nothing but fear. He just watched the sombrero boy shift uncomfortably there by the sidewalk, fiddling with the hem of his brown sweater with that absolutely ridiculous hat on his head. He tried desperately to convince Kevin to let him keep his hat. But the more he tried, the more Kevin started to really lose his patience with that damned hat.

"Look Edd, either you lose the hat or I'll go on without you." Kevin said with a stern, slightly annoyed voice.

When Edd had adorned the look of a puppy that had just been harshly kicked in the gut, Kevin had felt remorseful. It's not that Kevin would actually leave him or anything. It's just that if he let Double D go to school like that, people will definitely start poking fun. He couldn't have that. _No fucking way_. Kevin decided that it was time for some tough love.

Meanwhile, Edd seemed to be in a standstill, debating internally on whether or not he should lose the hat and risk the humiliation at school or keep the hat, piss off Kevin and risk being late for his morning schedule. He checked his watch again.

_7:15._

Kevin seemed to have sensed his distress when he said,

"Look Double D, ye just said that you were already running late. Come on, just lose the hat and we'll get you to school on time, okay?" Kevin said, this time in a less peeved and more coaxing voice.

For a moment, Edd had considered the idea of going to school, _dare he say it__?_ hatless. But the many scenarios running through his head, mainly people pointing and whispering things behind his back had made him all too hesitant. He looked up at Kevin hoping that he could bring rest to his uneasy mind.

"Kevin… What if they make fun of me?" Edd said in such a vulnerable voice that Kevin felt his chest clench for just a second.

Rarely did Edd use monosyllabic words. He knew he only used them because he was sincerely trying to appeal to Kevin's thoughts.

'Fuck this tough love crap.'

Kevin looked at a fidgeting Edd up and down contemplating on what to say or do. Again his eyes rested on that dumb sombrero. He just wanted to rip it off of his boyfriend's head and throw it on the ground and burn it. Burn it so it can go to hell where its hideousness could no longer harm his boyfriend's or anyone else's head for that matter.

'Trust me, Edd. If you go to school wearing that, there will be definite fun-making.' Kevin thought, glaring holes into the hat made of straw. He considered actually saying that but decided not to.

There was a long silence between the two, silence that was only filled with the quiet hum of Kevin's bike. Kevin mulled over on what the best thing was to say or do and after a full minute or so, he turned off the ignition, got off his bike and stood in front of Edd.

Edd was about to ask what the matter was when all of a sudden he felt a pair of arms pull him into an embrace. It wasn't a particularly tight hug nor was it too loose. If Edd were to describe it, it was more of a snug kind of hug. The type that was not too tight, not too loose. Just right. It was the type of hug that made you feel…safe. Edd was barely able to react when Kevin started to talk softly into his ear.

"They won't make fun of you. I promise."

Edd stood there in place unable to form words from his mouth. For a while he did nothing. Said nothing. Kevin sensed this slight discomfiture.

And Edd felt the hug tighten.

"If any of them do Edd…" Kevin said. "I swear to God I'll kill 'em. I'll _fucking_—"

Kevin was cut off when he heard a sniffle. He was about to pull away when he felt Edd's feeble arms wrap around his waist, trembling hands resting upon his back. Edd had his face buried in Kevin's chest. He knew Edd was trying to muffle any pathetic sounding whimpers escaping his mouth. He was failing miserably. Nonetheless, Kevin just let him do so, only stroking the fragile boy's back as comfortingly as he could.

Edd has never felt more like the luckiest person. To have someone love him like Kevin did. He felt like he wasn't worthy of him at all. Kevin shared such sentiments when it came to Double D.

"Kevin."

"...yeah?"

"Language please."

Kevin rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, yeah double dork."

"And also… Thank you… I, um, appreciate your affections greatly."

Kevin smiled. Looks like his Double Dork was back to normal. He pulled away and faced his boyfriend, hands on his shoulders. He tried to see if he was really okay.

'A little teary eyed but looks fine to me.' Kevin concluded. 'Damn...'

The flushed red face. The shy gap-toothed smile. The way Edd's eyes shone like aquamarine underneath the layer of tears. That motherfucking goddamn gap tooth. Words weren't even needed as he cupped Edd's face with those big warm hands of his. Kevin leaned in and kissed Edd full on the lips. He lingered longer unlike before because this time he was trying to tell Edd something, trying to tell him with that kiss that everything will be fine. That he'll take care of everything.

He was there for him.

The kiss ended all too quickly. And Kevin pulled away and turned Edd around only to smack him playfully on his bottom. Edd yelped in surprise.

"Come on Double Dork. You're gonna be late." Kevin said with a sly grin on his mug. Edd pouted.

"Way to ruin the moment, Kevin." Edd said in an indignant tone. Kevin only laughed.

Despite his disdain, Edd was still able to crack a smile. Kevin started up his bike again while Edd dried the rest of his tears with a napkin he had magically formed out of thin air. Once Kevin's motorcycle was up and running, he gave Double D the thumbs up.

"Set and ready to go. You ready?" Kevin said, offering the helmet.

He only then realized that Edd had made no movement whatsoever as to actually removing the hat. He was still so hesitant.

"You don't have to worry about it so much Edd." Kevin said with a gentle voice.

"Uhh… y-yes. Quite. But still… the thought of it does terrify me a considerable amount. I mean if you take into account the basics of high school hierarchy and my supposed social standing, among our peers at Peach Creek, I'm afraid I am just not well-liked enough to pull off such a daring stunt..."

True, Kevin thought. Not about that mumbo-jumbo hierarchy-crap. It WAS a daring stunt. Edd was a bit (in)famous around school. Be it his resident genius status, his association with the troublemaking Eddy, his history with the cul-de-sac kids or the fact that he was dating the captain of the baseball and football team. But what had really made him stand out, more than anything else, was that ski cap.

The hat he was so neurotically obsessed about. The hat he didn't sleep without. The hat he didn't leave home without. The hat he couldn't _live_ without. The hat that had hidden the greatest secret of Peach Creek High has ever had;

_His hair._

Heck, a revelation like that would make a much bigger impact than when he came out or when they announced that they were dating to the world. Many have speculated on what the hat had hidden. Some say he was hiding the fact that he was blonde, fearing the ridicule that he might be dubbed as the stereotypical dumb blonde even though that was far from the truth. Some say he was as bald as a baby's butt as a result of some kind of treatment or surgery of some sort. But some of the lucky ones who had actually seen what's underneath the hat knew exactly what the hat was hiding. Under his hat was…

Another hat. Lol jk no.

A patch of soft black hair.

Kevin remembers the first time he has seen it. He once snatched it off from an unsuspecting Edd from just right under his nose. It was just a prank. He was just curious, is all. The action had elicited a 'Kevin, how could you?!' from Edd as he struggled to keep his hair hidden under his shirt. It was a second too late though as Kevin had already gotten a pretty good look at it. He had to admit that Edd had looked pretty…

"Cute."

"Excuse me?"

"Uh, nothin' Double D."

Kevin shook his head and tried to clear his throat. Edd was looking at him quizzically. Yeah, Kevin didn't really want Edd to become a laughingstock because of the sombrero. But damn it he wanted to see hatless Edd again.

'One last push.' Kevin thought.

"Hey uh, Edd."

"Yes, Kevin?"

"Remember that time I, uh, stole your hat from you?"

Edd thought for a while, "I do recall such a moment. I also remember your nose bleeding profusely aft–"

"Yeeeaaah, let's not focus on that." Kevin said with a pained expression. Edd nodded.

Kevin took a deep breathe.

"Look, I don't know what you're deal is with your hat or your hair dorko. I mean, hey, whatever, that's your biz, but that time… that time you…"Kevin paused as he felt his cheeks burning. Kevin was really not good when it came to directly complementing a person. Honestly, he was more of the subtle hint kind of guy. Great, now he was starting to get nervous. He shook his head and decided that, fuck it, he may as well be pretty fucking straight with this.

"You looked fucking cute."

Edd stared at Kevin blankly, not knowing how to react to such a flattering albeit blatant remark. Kevin couldn't take the embarrassment and had to look away from Edd. The smaller boy however could see how red Kevin's ears were turning. He let out a light chuckle as he brought his hands over to the sombrero.

"Language, Kevin."

Hearing him say that had made Kevin feel less embarrassed and as he turned to answer Edd in usual half-assed way but as soon as he saw Edd, he felt his mind suddenly go blank.

"Shall we, Kevin? I'll have to bring the sombrero to school unfortunately as I've already locked up. But rest assured that I will not wear it at any time of the day today. You have my word. That is, I hope so."

None of the words coming out of Edd's mouth was registering in Kevin's mind at the moment. He was too busy…gawking. He wondered why oh why was Edd so embarrassed about his hair. He looked fucking gorgeous.

"Dear lord!"

Kevin snapped out of his stupor. "Wha— huh? What's happening?"

"Kevin! You're bleeding! Oh my goodness. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!"

"What are you—" Kevin was cut off when he felt something wet and hot trickle from his lips down to his chin.

"Shit. Goddammit."

"Language!" Edd scolded for the nth time.

Without delay, Edd had brought out napkins that he put against Kevin's bleeding nose all the while instructing Kevin to lean his head back. However the proximity of their bodies and faces, with Edd lightly pressed up against Kevin and their faces only inches away, has only made the nosebleed worsen. And the more his nose bled, the more hatless Edd pressed up against him. It was torture. Kevin didn't know what it was about Edd being hatless but somehow his hold on Kevin became ten times stronger. He couldn't stop blushing. Edd was, by that time, leading Kevin into his front porch, rummaging his bag for the keys to his house.

"Ohh, this is so going to merit me a tardy!" Edd whined as he used his free hand to shove more napkins in Kevin's nose.

'Something tells me I should have let him keep his dumb sombrero.' Kevin thought as desperately tried not to look at Edd's face. Still, he couldn't help but steal a glance.

But even after the all complaining, the shoving napkins up his nose, the lecture about profanity, Kevin thought, Edd has never looked cuter.

**End of Chapter 1**

_A/N_: Lol okay I'm never going to continue this. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FUCKING ONE-SHOT DRABBLE LS;DKFALDKGJALKGA

Hi. So it's been a while since I actually wrote anything so sorry if I seem like such a noob lol. Buttfuck it, I had a lot of fun writing this. So I hope you guys like it. :

The quote was so irrelevant hahaha.

Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated~

Bye.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I GOT CARRIED AWAAAAY QAQ huhuhuhu. Well here's chapter 2. I am way too lazy to edit now. I feel like I rushed the ending. I don't care anymooooooooore T_T GUH.

Disclaimers; I do not own EENE. And Nat belongs to c2ndy2c1d and Rave belongs to kirakurry.

Enjoy (?)

_"Wearing a hat is like having a baby or a puppy; everyone stops to coo and talk about it."_

_-Louise Green_

Wait, so this was all bucko's fault?"

Kevin's exasperated voice echoed in the half-empty school parking lot. The hatless Edd cringed at the volume of his voice, looking around to see if anyone had been looking at them. Kevin was just about to get off his bike when Edd had revealed to him the cause of all this hat mishap.

"Kevin, please lower your voice. It will draw unnecessary attention!"Edd said in hushed tones. Kevin ignored this.

"Let me get this straight; you're telling me Eddy just basically blew up your closet? I'm gonna kill that mother—"

"Kevin, please lower the tone of your voice this instant!" Edd said in a harsh whisper. His paranoia was starting to kick in as he struggled to hide his head underneath his sweater, fearing eyes would be upon them soon. When Kevin got off his bike, Edd had immediately clung to his arm and gone to hide behind his lean, broad back. Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Please try not to place the blame on Eddy for this. It was only an experiment gone horribly wrong."Edd said, his eyes nervously darting from one end of the parking lot to the other.

"You could've gotten hurt, dweeb." Kevin said in a concerned voice. Double D momentarily felt his paranoia cease, his cheeks blushing a light pink.

"Thank you for your concern." Edd said with a shy smile. "Oh but it was a harmless explosion Kevin. The only damage done to my closet was that it was covered in old rancid cheese."

Kevin did a slight double take.

"Do I even wanna ask?"

"I'm afraid not."

Both boys looked blankly at one another before sharing a lighthearted chuckle.

"So what was with the sombrero this morning?" Kevin inquired as they started their way to the school's front doors.

"Oh you see, I thought I'd be able to get to smell off the hats by Monday morning but I was sadly mistaken…" Edd paused to let out a sigh."The only decent thing I was able to scavenge from mother's prop box was the sombrero. So I was left with the decision of wearing either that or a tropical fruit hat."

'That explains why he was taking so long this morning.' Kevin thought, smiling to himself at the mental image of Edd wearing a fruit hat.

It was around 7:45 when they had finally arrived. Kevin was walking ahead of the two with Edd clinging to him like a terrified cub. Despite Edd's current fright however, Kevin still felt the raven-haired boy lightly pushing him towards the doors. Typical Double D, he thought, still prioritizing his responsibilities over just about everything else, even fear. However, it was only a few more steps to the doors when Kevin had realized how truly terrified his boyfriend was.

Edd had stopped, frozen at the sight of those seemingly ginormous doors peering down at him. All of a sudden, he started sweating and breathing heavily. Everything around him started to dissipate, leaving only those white polymer doors that seemed to be only growing bigger and bigger and bigger until it had completely towered over Edd. He felt his knees turn into jelly, his heart palpitating like crazy, his blood completely drain out of him like a faucet. He didn't even see Kevin's hand waving in front of him until—

"Edd?"

His voice had snapped Double D out of his daze. He realized that Kevin was looking at him with concern. That deep emerald gaze that was filled with nothing but care and love for the boy had easily brought him out of the deep abyss he was falling into just mere seconds ago. Again, he can not stress the importance of this person in his life. Still, he stood there frozen, making no attempt at all to open the

doors.

'Oh Edd, why must you be such a coward?' Double D thought, closing his eyes in frustration.

He hadn't at all seen Kevin offer his hand that is until the jock had cleared his throat. Once Edd had realized what Kevin was implying, he could do nothing but stare blankly at the boy's calloused hands.

"That's not gonna hold itself you know." Kevin joked.

Still nothing. Kevin sighed.

"Come on Double Dweeb. I'll walk with you 'til first period."

Double D swallowed the lump in his throat. He still could not make his knees stop shaking. But thankfully, that is, thanks to Kevin, he had considerably calmed down a notch. He then tentatively moved his hand to take hold of Kevin's. Seeing Edd's hesitation, the slightly impatient Kevin snatched up his hand and then fluidly intertwined their fingers together. The action had caught Edd off-guard. But even with Edd's baffled look, Kevin had still managed to give him his most confident smirk,

"You're gonna be fine Double D. Trust me."

There was something about the way Kevin said it that had made Edd believe every single stated word. Sometimes he wonders where Kevin gets his seemingly boundless supply of confidence. Although this also meant that Kevin had that tendency to get ahead of himself during certain situations, it was still something Edd had always admired about him and, at times, envied.

Still finding himself to be mute, Edd simply nodded his head once.

When Kevin had proceeded to prop open the doors, Edd had inadvertently closed his eyes. His palms were sweaty, Kevin noted. He made sure he led the boy in as gently as he could, lest he trip over his own two feet. He did not notice right away how silent it was that is until he looked up and was greeted by an almost empty hallway. There were only a few people around who either didn't know them or didn't care.

'Hah. Figures.' Kevin thought.

There was no way a bunch of lazy-ass kids would come to school this early. And on a Monday no less. Suddenly, he felt Edd's grip on his hand become extremely tight. Kevin was surprised at how strong his scrawny boyfriend could be. It turned him on a little.

'Fuck Kev. This ain't the time.'

The sound of bones cracking alerted him.

"Ow ow ow! Double D! Double D, relax man, there's no one here!" Kevin exclaimed.

Edd's eyes flew open and immediately he began scanning the premises for any suspicious persons or activities. When he realized that there was in fact nobody of importance there, he let go of Kevin's hand, much to Kevin's relief. Double D's relief came in the form of a sigh. He could not be any more grateful than he was that nobody was there. But at the same time he could not help but feel a bit silly for making such a big deal out of the issue. He felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment suddenly wishing he had his hat present so that he could pull it down to his face.

He felt Kevin's hand snake back into its former position.

With a cheeky grin on his face, Kevin said "Told ya you'd be fine."

A smile slowly spread across Edd's face before he found himself chuckling. To be honest, he didn't know what he found so amusing. Was he laughing at Kevin's smug little expression? Was he laughing at himself for making such a big fuss over nothing? Nevertheless, he felt all his fear, anxiety and paranoia rush out of him like a bird freed from its cage. He stared at his cocky boyfriend fondly for a moment before leaning up to cup his face in one hand and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thank you, Kevin."

Kevin listened to his boyfriend ramble on about some kind of science project he was working on but the words left his mind as quickly as it entered. Granted, whenever Edd talked about this sort of things, he did have the tendency to zone out. However, today Kevin found himself completely blocked out from reality. All he could really do was stare at his boyfriend. There was something about his hair that had kept Kevin in a trance-like state. It just looked so… soft. So fluffy. He was like a…sheep. And damn, Kevin wanted nothing more than to take that sheep home and do unspeakable things to it.

"Uh huh… yeah..."

His eyes travelled across every inch of that nicely shaped head. The style he wore was somewhat akin to that of a buzz cut, only a bit overgrown. It had made him look so boyish which only added to his charm. Kevin wanted to run his fingers through it, to see if it felt as silky as it looked. He wanted to get a whiff of it; to take in its scent and engrave it in his mind so that every time he happened to smell it, he'd immediately think of him.

'God Kev, you can be such a perv sometimes.' Kevin thought to himself, his cheeks burning a bit. He hadn't noticed that Edd had stopped prattling and was looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Um, are you alright?" Kevin heard Edd say. "You're looking a bit flushed, Kevin."

"What? N-No, yeah, I'm fine Double D."

Looking unconvinced, Edd leaned in a bit to try and observe Kevin's condition. Their faces were now only a mere few inches apart. With Edd's face pressed up against his like that and add that slight tilt to his head, it had taken all of Kevin's control just to stop the oncoming nosebleed.

"Oh, my. You aren't going to have another nosebleed, are you? I do hope your condition does not turn out to be a chronic disease."

Kevin tried to avoid direct eye contact, "Yeah, right. My uhh, 'condition', haha."

"Do you perhaps know the name of your condition? I shall properly research about it after school so that I may accommodate whatever needs you might have." Edd said as he started to pull out a pen and notepad from his locker.

"U-Uhh, that's alright Double D!" Kevin hurriedly said, stopping Edd, "I-It's not a serious disease. It, ya know, uhh, runs with the family… Y-Yeah. No big deal."

"Hmm... Well if you say so." Edd said reluctantly, placing back the ornaments in their designated places.

A loud shuffling from down the hall alarmed both boys. More and more students were flooding in through the doors; something that greatly bothered the shorter of the two as he started fidgeting.

"U-Umm, well, I suppose I have to report to the nurse's office right away. I will have to explain why I was tardy, but I will make haste so umm…"

Kevin had noticed how nervous Edd had suddenly become and he figured it was because of the wave of students that were threatening to burst through those doors.

"Yeah?" Kevin urged him. Edd only looked at him sheepishly.

"Could you perhaps… wait for me here? That is, until I come back."

Kevin gave him an assuring smile before saying, "Yeah, sure Double D."

A wide smile spread across the gap-toothed boy's lips as he closed his locker to give Kevin a brisk hug.

"I am truly grateful Kevin! I assure you that the wait won't be long." Edd said. "I'll bring you some medicine as well. Those nosebleeds must have given you quite the headache."

"Don't sweat it man. I'll be here when you get back."

Double D smiled at him before he started to walk off. He waved bye to Kevin just as he rounded the corner. Kevin did the same. When he could no longer hear his boyfriend's footsteps lightly tapping against the marble floor, Kevin slumped on Double D's locker and let out a great big sigh of satisfaction.

"I am in fucking love."

"Oh, what's this?" a voice said.

Kevin turned around to his best friend Nathan Kedd Goldberg; better known as Nat. The teal haired boy was lazily making his way to him, strutting up his stuff as usual. Actually, strutting was such an understatement. The freckled boy nearly goddamn demanded attention wherever he went. When he reached Kevin, he looped his arm tightly around the boy's neck.

"Did I just see my main man Kev, flirting with someone who ISN'T his Double Dweeb? And thereafter stating that he was in love with said _house wrecker_? Not that it's any of my business but gosh, Kev, I didn't know you were such a cockslut."

Irritated, Kevin shrugged off the hold Nat had on his neck and reversed it so that he was the one strangling him.

"Have your eyes checked Goldberg. That _was_ my Double Dweeb."

Nat looked surprised. In fact he looked very surprised. He was observing _(stalking)_ the two from afar a little while ago. He didn't know who the little fucker was, since the only thing he could see was the back of that black tuft of annoyingly soft-looking hair. But he could definitely make out Kevin's love-struck expression. It was an expression he often enjoyed teasing Kevin about. But more importantly, Nat knew that it was something Kevin only showed to his beloved dork.

And Nat would be damned if he were to let some little piece of shit take down this ship. Oh no fucking way. He was about to give the guy a piece of his mind when the guy had apparently gone off somewhere. He was only able to get a small glimpse of his face and he had to admit; Kevin had good taste. And dat ass. _Damn._But nonetheless he was still grating with withheld rage when he walked up to Kevin.

Honestly, he didn't even think for a second that the house-wrecker was in fact the housewife.

Nat looked up at Kevin skeptically and said "Aaaaaaare you sure?"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. This is his locker. Remember, Einstein?"

Kevin knew that Nat knew that this was indeed Edd's locker. How he failed to realize that in the first place was really beyond him. Nat just stared blankly at the corner where the supposed mystery boy disappeared to. Kevin had long let go of his hold on Nat but the boy seemed to be frozen in his position. All he could really muster was a,

"I'd tap that."

This had earned him a good ass-kicking (literally) as Kevin planted his foot on Nat's butt firmly before shoving him to the ground.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Jeez." Nat said jokingly as tried to sit up. Kevin only clicked his tongue in distaste. Both boys were up against the lockers, with Nat still nonchalantly sitting on the floor.

"But hell. _That_ was Double D? I can't believe he's finally going to show the whole school what's under the hat!" Nat said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, well…" Kevin said, his previous irritation gone with the wind. "Look, he's coming back later and he feels pretty nervous about it so do me a favor and try not to make a big deal out of it, okay?"

Nat nodded in response and with a cheeky grin said, "Yeah sure bro. But I ain't makin' no prosmises about not touching the guy. I mean, I never really noticed how fucking tight Double D's butt looked until—"

He was cut-off when Kevin's foot roughly collided with the side of his face.

"Ow! Fuck Kev. That hurts." Nat complained.

"Heh. Serves you right."

Nat had adorned the mock look of a wounded puppy. "Your words wound me, Kev." But his expression easily turned mischievous, "But I wasn't kidding."

Kevin was about to really give it to Nat when the sound of someone yelling out his voice alarmed him. Especially since the voice was that of his favorite dork.

"_Keeeevvviiin!_" Edd's voice echoed in the hallways. He heard footsteps coming from around the corner and he was startled when Edd jumped out. Once Double D saw Kevin's concerned emerald gaze, he immediately scampered to him and hid behind his back, knees shaking.

Among all that mess, Kevin was still able to get a glimpse of several lipstick marks on Edd's face_._

_Kankers._

He should have known.

"Come back here cutie pie~!" a shrill voice Kevin identified as Marie Kanker's echoed through the hallways. Several girlish squeals and laughter followed suit. Immediately, Kevin put a protective arm around Double D. The three sisters soon rounded up the corner to face a livid Kevin and a cowering Edd hiding behind him. The glare Kevin shot them was deadly and their smiles and grins dropped at the sight of it.

"Oh great." May said crossing her arms, "The boyfriend's here."

"Looks like our fun's over girls." Lee said. This resulted into a long drawled out 'aww' from both girls. Marie looked especially disappointed.

But Lee added with a hint of malice, "For now."

This caused all three girls burst into fits of hysterical giggles. Kevin felt a vein in his forehead pop. His glare only intensified.

"Get lost Kankers." He threatened.

"Yeah, yeah, lover boy." Lee said as she and her sisters started to turn the other way.

"See you later sweetie pie~" Marie cooed, making Edd flinch. She ignored the tall redhead in front of Edd and blew him a flying kiss. Kevin retaliated by blocking Marie's view of Edd and flipping her off. This earned him an irritated scowl from the blue-haired Kanker before she turned around to catch up with her sisters.

Soon the trio had been engulfed in the growing crowd of students in the hall. But even then, Kevin could make out their shrill voices giggling and squealing. The last thing he heard before their voices were swallowed by the daily chatter of other students was Marie saying,

"He looks even cuter than before!"

Something inside Kevin snapped and he muttered under his breath, "Fucking Kankers."

"L-Language Kevin."

The redhead turned around to the shivering boy behind him. He was still clutching tightly on Kevin's jacket.

"You okay Double D?" Kevin asked; his tone has lost its raspy quality and was replaced by a softer one.

It took a moment but eventually Edd nodded and slowly let go of Kevin. He pulled out a napkin from out of his satchel and wiped off the lipstick off his face. He wondered why the Kankers always had to use such smeary lipstick when it came to kissing the Eds.

"Being sexually harassed by the Kanker sisters is somewhat of a daily routine for me by now. However, I couldn't help but notice how they were a tad bit…aggressive… today." Edd sighed, wiping even his mouth. "Particularly Marie."

Oh how Kevin wished he could do more than just flip Marie off at that very moment. He tried to calm himself down, thinking that Edd needed him right now, not as a short-tempered idiot but as a caring and loving boyfriend. He heard a downcast sigh from Edd and he strengthened his conviction. Kevin took hold of Edd's chin and lifted it so that he was looking up at Kevin.

"Hey, chin up alright? Today's Monday. You don't have any class together with a Kanker. So it'll be alright."

A demure smile slowly crept up Edd's mouth and the raven haired boy nodded. Kevin smiled at this.

"And if there's any chance of a Kanker ambushing you in the hallway, I want you to mail me or call me. I'll be there in a heartbeat, okay?"

Edd nodded once again, thankful for having Kevin at his side. Seeing that Edd was less distressed because of this, Kevin felt a little satisfied. In the end, that was all that really mattered to him.

"Holy shit."

Kevin and Edd both turned to the voice that belonged to no one other than a Mr. Nathan Goldberg. Nat was staring wide-eyed at the hat-less sight before him. Meanwhile, Edd held his tongue about lecturing his boyfriend's best friend about profanity and instead greeted him with a toothy smile.

"Greetings Nathan!"

Nat felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of a hat-less Edd beaming up at him.

'Ahh… so cute.' Nat unconsciously thought. When he realized how dangerous his thoughts were, he shook his head frantically much to Edd's confusion.

'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Shit. This is fucking dangerous territory.' Nat thought to himself as he ordered his heart to calm down. As if on cue, Kevin started glaring daggers at him over Edd's shoulder.

"Er… Uhh… Looking good Double D!" Nat spluttered.

"Oh. Umm, why thank you Nathan." Edd said with a light blush on his face. Honestly, he didn't know how to react to such blatant flattery. "You look dashing as well."

Nat grinned at this, feeling his ego swell up. Good old Double D. Because of this, Nat regained his composure. He laced an arm around Edd's shoulder much to Kevin's alarm and said,

"I know, I know. No need to state the obvious."

Edd chuckled at this and even Kevin seemed to loosen up a bit seeing that Nat was back to his old antics.

"You know, you should go to school hat-less more often." Nat said. Edd looked up at him in confusion.

"You look fucking adorbs. Plus, Kev can't take his eyes off of you for one second." Nat teased.

"O-Oh, uhh…" Edd said unable to say anything more. His flushed red face was enough to show what he was really feeling.

Meanwhile, an equally embarrassed Kevin had taken it upon himself to strangle Nat with his bare hands as he made a run for him. But the equally athletic Nat was able to dodge whatever attempts of catching him Kevin had. He hadn't really noticed the boy he was about to bump into until it was too late. This had caused the stranger's book to topple off his grasp and land on the marble floor.

"O-Oh shit. Sorry man." Kevin apologized.

The guy looked irritated and spat, "Look where you're fucking going."

Kevin was startled by such a rude response. He wanted to say something too but he decided to just back off. The guy looked vaguely familiar, Kevin noted. He recognizes him from one of the school plays but he can't seem to remember his name. Jim Cu— something... Or was it James? He couldn't really remember. He did however recall someone calling him 'Rave' before.

It seemed like Nat seemed to know this 'Rave' as he visibly perked up at the sight of him. However, 'Rave' ignored him and shook his head.

"Neanderthals." Rave said in a voice loud enough for all three boys to hear.

He was about to pick up his fallen book when a pair of hands did it for him. Rave was about to tell the stranger off when he was taken aback at the sight of Double D.

"Um, allow me."

Edd had taken the liberty of wiping off whatever dirt the book had amassed upon falling on the floor with his seemingly limitless supply of napkins. He handed the book back to Rave with an apologetic smile, hoping that such a thing would suffice to sate the boy's anger.

Rave silently took the book from Edd. For a moment, Rave just kept staring at him, as if trying to place him in his memories. When he found this face to be rather unfamiliar, Rave did a once over, surveying the boy from top to bottom, right to left. This only confused Edd and made Kevin slightly uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Nat was uncharacteristically quiet. A rare smile graced Rave's features as he started to tread back down the hallways.

"'A rose among the thorns', I suppose." was his last statement before he disappeared into the crowd.

"Jeez. What was that all about?" Kevin wondered.

"I haven't in the slightest." Edd said, just as perplexed.

Nat, who had been silent up until then, suddenly ran after the boy named Rave, bidding Edd and Kevin an abrupt goodbye as he did.

"Later, Double D. Later, Kev."

"What?" Kevin said, "Where ya goin'?"

Nat didn't answer as he started going down the hallway where Rave disappeared in. Edd only offered a confused wave goodbye while Kevin furrowed his eyebrows.

"What the fuck is up with everybody today." Kevin wondered out loud.

"Though I do agree with that sentiment Kevin; Language, please." Edd lectured.

The raven haired boy sighed and started opening his locker to gather his books for the day when Nat suddenly popped back and pulled Kevin aside much to Kevin's surprise. He drew his best friend in close and spoke in hushed tones.

"Look man, you better keep tabs on that boyfriend of yours today or else shit's going to start fucking flyin' 'round here."

Kevin raised a brow at this. "The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Nat sighed at this. "Let's just say if someone like Miss Prissy Pants back there takes a liking to him, then Edd's _stock value_…" Nat paused and pointed at Edd "…just went up pretty fucking high."

Kevin scoffed at this, refusing to believe it.

"You're telling me that just because Double D's hatless today that people are gonna start lusting over him?" Kevin said, skepticism dripping all over his tone. But Nat merely shrugged.

"Worked on you, didn't it?"

Kevin became silent for a while. He shook his head, but secretly considered it. "Pssh. Get real, man."

"Whatever dude. Don't say I didn't warn you." Nat said, giving Kevin one last sympathetic pat on the back before he started to leave again.

"Hey Princess, wait up!" Kevin heard Nat yell across the hall, presumably for this 'Rave' guy.

'Heh, yeah right... What the fuck does Nat know. So what if Double D's gotten some stares. They're just not used to seeing him without his hat, that's all. Stock value. Psh, what a load of crap.' Kevin thought to himself.

Despite all his reasoning though, Kevin couldn't seem to stop the twiddling of his thumbs. Nor was he able to suppress the lump in his throat as he did his best to swallow it.

'Everything's gonna be alright… right?'

It was now 8:11 in the morning and by this time there was already a steady flow of students entering Peach Creek High. Kevin and Edd were walking down the hall hand-in-hand as they usually did. They have been dating for several months now so such a sight wouldn't really merit a glance or two from anyone. Today was different however because a lot of the student's attention was drawn to them. Specifically, Edd.

Now that there were a lot more people in school, Edd felt his apprehension growing back. He clutched Kevin's hand tightly, eyes downcast as his carrot top boyfriend walked him to class. Even though he couldn't really see anyone, Edd could feel them staring, boring holes in his back. Or rather his head. He heard whispers and gasps and a lot of cursing brought on by the surprise. He was brought back to that moment when he and Kevin first made it known to Peach Creek that they were somewhat of a thing. The experience was something similar to this. It gave him a sense of déjà vuwalking down those same halls with the same kids and the same judging eyes. The only thing that had gotten him through such an ordeal back then was him... Just like back then, Kevin had held his hand tight. He had matched all those judging stares with his determined ones and he proudly strode down the halls with Edd. Ever since then, they'd be seen every morning walking hand-in-hand. Again, Edd had no idea where the boy had gotten his boundless supply of courage.

But it's different this time. This time, he couldn't let Kevin fight this battle for him. It was Edd's turn to find it in himself to stand tall among his judging peers. And as if on cue, he felt Kevin lightly squeeze his hand as if trying to encourage him. Edd breathed in and breathed out, and as proudly as he could, strode down the halls.

"No fucking way."

"That's Double D?"

"Holy shit."

"Oh my God."

Kevin could hear the kids all around them saying things like these. They came in different varieties but basically, they were all just really taken aback. Kevin could feel Edd's clammy hands holding his in a death grip. He tried not to mind his bones cracking under the intense and instead busied himself by keeping both his eyes and ears open, just in case anyone tried any funny business. But as time passed, it seemed clear to him that Peach Creek was just shocked. Still, he tried his best to stay alert.

"Is that the ski-cap guy?" he heard one of them say.

'_A harmless comment._'

"Isn't he like, that dork from your math class?" another one said.

'_Only I can call him that but I'll let it pass._'

"Are you sure he isn't some transfer student?"

'_God these kids can be so fucking retarded.'_

"Hey… doesn't he look kinda cute?"

Kevin froze.

"K-Kevin?" Edd said, surprised.

Kevin shook his head, indicating that it was nothing before they started walking again. It was girl's voice, definitely, but there were a lot of them there, whispering and giggling in little groups and he was unable to identify who said what.

"Didn't you used to have a crush on him?"

This time the voice came in another direction. From a different voice. From a different girl. Kevin started sweating when the kids started voicing their interest in Edd all at once.

"Didn't he used to tutor you?"

"Isn't he that smart kid from your AP class?"

"I dropped my books once and he totally helped me pick them up!"

"He gave me medicine for my headache."

"Isn't he dating Kev?"

All of a sudden, the kids became eerily quiet and without warning, they dispersed into their own groups. Such a thing relieved Edd thinking that the maybe whole thing was done and over. But Kevin's knew better. While they were walking to Edd's class, a blonde girl passed by them. Kevin noticed the girl smiling at Edd and he eyed her suspiciously.

"Hey Double D." the blonde said. She batted her eyes flirtatiously.

"Oh, um. Good morning Sandra." Edd greeted.

"You look great today!"

"O-Oh. Th-Thank you."

"No prob. See you in class, 'mkay?"

"Y-Yes… I suppose."

The girl named Sandra giggled cutely as she skipped happily past them. Kevin glowered at her retreating form but he had little time to do so since soon they were met with similar greetings from the other kids.

"Heya, Double D!"

"How's it goin' Double D?"

"What's up Double D?"

"You look totally awesome Double D."

"Love your look Double D!"

The unusual bombardment of greetings and compliments had left Edd completely flustered. He didn't know what one would usually say under these circumstances aside from 'I'm fine', 'Thank you' or 'You too.' Kevin had only been growing more and more impatient with each person they passed by. He almost lost it when one scantily dressed girl winked at Edd suggestively. He quickened his pace, tugging along Edd.

Eventually, they reached the door to Edd's class. Even after he had let go of his hand, Edd noticed that how rather close Kevin was sticking to him. Not that he minded. But it was still rather peculiar. He also noticed that he was glancing over his shoulder a lot and turning his head to every other person that passed by them. To get his attention, Edd tried clearing his throat. Unfortunately, he had to do this twice until Kevin finally looked at him.

"U-Umm, Kevin, thank you for walking me to class, as per our usual routine. I shall be taking my leave now, if you do not mind."

"Y-Yeah, no prob." Kevin said reluctantly.

Edd bade him one last goodbye before he entered the room leaving Kevin standing there by himself.

"Hey Double D, sit next to me!" he heard someone say just before the doors shut him out.

It was now 8:23 in the morning. If the redheaded jock didn't hurry, he was going to be late for first period. But still, Kevin felt himself linger outside the room. Getting a tardy was the last thing on his mind. Eventually he did start marching down the halls again but then he couldn't stop hearing Nat's annoying voice replaying itself in his mind like a broken record;

'_Stock value… Stock value… Stock value… Stock value…'_

He clenched his fist at his side, trying to contain his frustration and cursed under his breath heavily. It was all he could do to keep himself from punching one random unfortunate locker. He was sure this was going to be a real headache. And the day had only just begun.

Fuck. Why couldn't he have just let Edd wear the goddamn sombrero?

'This is going to be a long day.'

End of Chapter 2

A/N:

Ehrmahgerd. I made so many references in this one chapter. Ehe.

ANYWAAAAAAAAAAAAYssss. Thank you so much for your reviews and favs and follows gois. It makes me really happy :3 Erm, I don't think dis is my best work but I had tons of funs writing it~ so I hope you it was to your liking. If not, well… *cries*

Also, I'd like to hear about what you think of eet too so pop in a review (or two) maybe. I might update faster if you do. Nyaha. Jk, jk.

Also squared, I'm sorry if any of the OC's seemed OOC. I don't know okay. Don't hate me ;_;

'Til the next chapter my pretties.

(Insert: For those wondering what DD looks like without his hat, check out c2ndy2cid or kirakurry's blogs for their versions. It's pretty much what I'm basing it on :3)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:** Oh my gosh. **I'm sorry this took so long but college has been a pain in the arse. But celebrate heathens for I've come bearing 10 pages of... words. Not too much fluff. That's for the next chapter :3

Cheesus. This was just supposed to be some short drabble but it's progressed so far already! ; - ; I seriously can't stop now. Well, even if it isn't like that anymore, I hope you'll stick around for the ride anyways!

_Disclaimer: _I do not own EENE.

Hope you enjoy! ; - ;

"_Some hats can only be worn if you're willing to be jaunty, to set them at an angle and to walk beneath them with a spring in your stride as if you're only a step away from dancing. They demand a lot of you."_

_-Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys_

Today was proving to be most confounding for Edd. At every twist and turn of today's events, he was continually left stumped; astonished; bewildered; constantly at a loss for words; and the list goes on. He, for one, was never fond of spontaneity. If anything, having routine disrupted made him irritable and bothered. Besides, he finds the monotony of an everyday lifestyle to be somewhat comforting and any form of deviation was unnerving, to say the least. In plain sight, one could clearly see that the greatest change that had occurred today was the attention. Those who had once treated him like dirt lower than dirt itself were now all pleasant and cheery, greeting him with warm smiles and praise. And although this certainly was an improvement, he couldn't shake off that feeling of impropriety.

It was just a little after second period and Edd was fetching his chemistry book from his locker. He was thankful for the opportunity to temporarily leave all that commotion behind. People were swarming him as if they were flies and he, a fresh rancid pile of garbage. And it was because of this attention that he barely made it to History. He even considered calling Kevin or Eddy for assistance but decided that taking such measures would seem a tad bit desperate. And he wasn't _that_ desperate. Not yet, at least. His gratitude is instead accredited to the teacher for giving them that pop quiz that had allowed him to leave earlier than the rest.

Edd sighed. This day was turning out to be more tiresome than he had expected. Sure, did he expect a reaction? Yes, of course. But he only expected one or two heads turning and words spoken behind his back. He hadn't expected it to become a full-blown issue. It wasn't even halfway through the day and already he found himself wanting to head home, change into his jammies and help himself to a warm cup of cocoa Mother brought in the other day. Edd supposed that the only silver lining to his day was Eddy's er... "promise" to treat him to lunch later; a compensation of sorts for the ruined hats. And of course, the walk home with Kevin.

"Hi Double D!" a brunette chirped as she passed by him in the hall, her shrill voice effectively snapping him from previous thoughts.

Edd did not even know who this harlequin was! He wanted to sigh. He opted to just politely smile and wave at her. '_Double D.' _He had no recollection of who this girl even was and yet she had called him by his cherished nickname. Not that he truly minded but it felt a bit uncomfortable for complete strangers to even utter it. It held a certain familiarity that only the Eds and the cul-de-sac kids could ever call him that without it sounding so...offbeat. Oh and Nat, of course. Honestly, in a learning institution such as this, he'd much rather be called—

"Eddward?"

Edd turned to the voice and was surprised to see a flashy young man he's never seen before peering at him with curious eyes. Standing at about at least a foot taller than Edd was a rather handsome blonde boy. His angular face, excellent bone structure and proportional features had lead Edd to believe that perhaps he was some sort of model? Toned muscles concealed themselves behind a grey v-neck tee. ('Hiding' was a bit of an understatement seeing as the boy's chiselled chest was practically on display) Said tee was neatly tucked into his jeans. The material clung to his every curve of his lower body greedily, almost... erotically. In stark contrast to his overall neat appearance, his short golden hair flew out in all directions, curling at its tips and giving him a complete bed-head look; though if you looked closely enough, you can see that it had actually been styled that way.

"You're Eddward...right?" the boy asked again. His sea-green eyes seemed intently focused on Edd's cerulean ones. Edd was unable to look directly at those intense eyes. It made him feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, I-I am indeed. May I be of service to you?" Edd said trying not to let his anxiety show. Instead, he put on his best toothy grin.

The guy chuckled, much to Edd's surprise. Another deviation but this was a much more pleasant one. Instead of the usual mocking tone that he was accustomed to, this person's laugh was... playful. When he was done laughing by himself, the guy looked up and flashed Edd his set of pearly whites. _'How blinding.'_ Edd thought.

"Wow. I've heard the rumours but..." the guy said. He leaned in closer, lips just barely brushing the tip of Edd's ears, and whispered in a low raspy tone,

"...I didn't think you'd be this cute."

"E-Excuse me?" Edd said, obviously surprised. He alarmingly took a step back from the boy.

The guy, however, was just hurled into another fit of cackling, this time with much more volume. Edd just awkwardly stood there, taking all that laughing in while a blush slowly fought its way to his cheeks. He was just about to turn on his sass when the guy suddenly looped his arm around the skinnier boy's shoulders and pulled him closer.

"Ahaha. It was a joke! A joke! Everybody here knows your Kev's little _chaton_." The guy said before gingerly tapping Edd's nose with his index finger.

"Erm, y-yes, well..." a red-faced Edd said, not knowing how to react to this situation. The guy certainly had zero sense when it came to personal space and to be honest, it was quite uncomfortable to be held close by such an eccentric stranger. The blonde boy noticed how tense Edd was so he courteously released his hold on him before bowing apologetically.

"Oh, _excusez-moi_. I seem to be forgetting my manners. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable Eddward." The strange boy said before bowing apologetically.

Shocked by the sudden change in personality and also alarmed at the attention they were starting to attract Edd scrambled for a response.

"Oh— I...uh, no, no, please! There's no need to apologize so gallantly! T-though I assure you that the sentiment is much appreciated. And please, call me Edd." Edd said, waving his hands in front of him nervously.

The guy was still for a moment contemplating on this. He looked up at Edd again and said,

"Yeah, okay... But still. Are you sure? I mean, it must be hard on you. I heard all this attention you've been gettin' has been giving you some trouble."

Edd was surprised. He suddenly seemed so genuinely penitent. Maybe he wasn't such a bad person after, even if he was an ignoramus when it came to personal boundaries.

"It's quite alright, sir! Your actions have not done me any harm."

The guy's guilt-ridden expression was suddenly then replaced with an amused look much to Edd's confusion.

"Did you just call me 'sir'?" he asked Edd, chuckling to himself.

The boy seemed to have a knack for colouring Edd's cheeks with different shades of red.

"I a-apologize. I believe I didn't catch your name...?" Edd said wonderingly.

The guy snorted and looked at Edd, his lopsided smirk made Edd admit to himself that the guy was kind of charming. He was just about to answer when he found someone answering for him.

"_Jonathan Matthews." _

Both boys turned to a pretty blonde cheerleader in pigtails walking up to them. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her brown hazelnut eyes were shooting daggers at this Jonathan person.

"Nazz!" Edd exclaimed, too elated to notice the expression on the girl's face. Edd immediately ran over to herl, much to Jonathan's dismay, and they shared a tight hug.

"_Nazz."_ Jonathan said, his voice steely. But yet again Edd has somehow failed to notice any of this.

After she released herself from the friendly embrace, Nazz crossed her arms once more and cocked her hips to one side, hostility still ever present in her actions. However, this was masked by a wide smile on her face.

"What were you guys talking about?" Nazz asked, clearly directing the question at Jonathan.

Jonathan mirrored Nazz's expression, not at all intimidated by the girl's obvious distaste for him. In fact, he even had the gall to wrap one arm around Edd's shoulder before answering, just to ruffle her jimmies.

"Oh, nothing! I just wanted to meet the infamous Eddward I've been hearing oh-so-much about." Jonathan said before turning to Edd and saying, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"O-Oh!" Edd said in surprise, "Likewise, Jonathan...was it?"

Jonathan grinned, letting go of Edd and extending his hand to him, "Please, call me Jon."

Edd, ever the polite one, firstly brought out the disinfectant from his bag and sprayed it on Jonathan's extended hand then graciously accepted the gesture by extending his own. Both gentlemen shared the friendly handshake. And this instigated a conversation between the two.

"Sorry if I made things awkward for a moment there."

"I apologize as well if I have contributed to that sort of atmosphere. I'm afraid I'm just terrible at interacting with my peers."

"Don't say that! You're pretty interesting to me."

"Th-Thank you very much, Jonathan."

"Hey I told you to call me Jon, didn't I?"

"O-oh, I'm so sorry! Please excuse me Jonathan. N-No— I mean, J-Jon."

"Hahaha! You are so fascinating."

Meanwhile, Nazz started grinding her teeth. Her patience was wearing alarmingly thin. Watching the two interact with each other was grating and with Jonathan secretly glancing over at her with that smug little expression of his did not help in the slightest. Nazz shook her head.

'_Calm yourself, girl.' _Nazz thought. She closed her eyes for a while then breathed in an amount of air before exclaiming,

"Oh wow, is it nine-thirty already?! Double D, aren't you gonna be late for class?"

Immediately, Edd snapped out of his conversation with Jonathan and looked at Nazz, horrified. But before he could even check his watch, Nazz pushed Jonathan out of the way and locked arms with Edd, and started to drag him down the hallway. It wasn't that hard, seeing as the boy was light as a feather.

"Isn't your next class _aaaaall_ the way on the other side of the school? Oh my gosh, you're gonna be so late! Come on mister, move your butt!" Nazz rambled on all the while dragging Edd.

"I'll walk with you! You know, just in case the umm, uhh... the Kankers! They, uh, might ambush you or something. Come on!"

Edd was unable to protest as Nazz was a surprisingly strong girl that or he really just that scrawny. He did however manage to get a peek at his wristwatch and clearly, he was puzzled.

"B-But Nazz," Edd argued, "... it's only nine-fif— oof!" he was suddenly silenced by a sharp tug from Nazz.

"Well," Nazz said barely even turning to face Jonathan, "Sorry we had to cut the conversation short Jonathan, but Edd has to go so, I guess we'll just be on our—"

"Hey, what's the rush?" Jonathan interrupted. "Let me walk you to class too Edd." he said, trotting up to them.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Nazz said at once, earning suspicious glances from both boys. "I-I mean, don't you have to get to class too Jonathan? We wouldn't want to bother you or anything." Nazz said nervously, speeding up their pace even more. However, Jonathan was able to keep up easily enough.

"Nah, free period. And I don't really mind. What do you say, Edd?"

All three of them halted and then both blondes turned their attention to Edd. Nazz just hoped Edd could see the clear-cut opposition in her eyes. Despite the mediocrity of the situation, Edd couldn't help but feel the pressure placed on his shoulders. He started wracking his brain for an appropriate answer and the anticipation for both parties grew to the point of making them sweat.

"I-I suppose..." Edd started and Nazz held her breathe.

"...that it...wouldn't hurt...?"

The cheerleader inwardly groaned, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Jonathan, on the other hand, seemed rather jubilant. He put an arm around Eddward's shoulders and started leading him down the hall.

"Shall we?"

As much as Edd wanted to avoid attracting attention (he's had his fill for the day), he was, instead, barraged by a shitload of it. There was a sort of battle of the blondes going on between his two companions. Unfortunately, he was situated right in the middle of it. Curious on-lookers stared at the three and Edd had wanted nothing more than to disappear in a deep, dark hole.

A minute ago, they were just walking down the hall together. Jonathan's arm was around him but purely in a placid manner, of course, while Nazz tailed them from behind. He was just making small talk with Jonathan when all of a sudden, Nazz slipped in between them and hooked her arm around Edd's and shoved Jonathan aside for the second time that day. She started asking him about how he and Kev were doing lately. She then curiously emphasized the fact that they were the dating each other and not anyone else. Edd didn't really see why Nazz had to implicate that. She was one of the first few people who knew about the relationship after all. He hadn't at all seen the warning glance Nazz shot the other boy. Jonathan however, despite all the discouragements, did not let these things hinder him. He seized Edd's shoulders once more and pulled him in his general direction but Nazz had an iron grip on Edd and had not let go. It was an uncomfortable position for Edd to be in but he was unable to say anything about the matter.

Jonathan said that instead of talking about boring old news like his romantic relationship with the resident jock, he would much rather learn more about him. He ignored Nazz's protests and started bombarding Edd with questions. Where do you live? What clubs are you in? What are your hobbies? It seemed he had hit the jackpot when he had mentioned the state science fair. Edd's eyes twinkled as he unleashed a flurry of hypotheses, theories, procedures and personal inquisitions at Jonathan. The blonde boy smirked triumphantly. However, Nazz was not letting up either. She had suddenly gotten down to her knees and put a sweaty hand to her forehead. She made gagging noises at the back of her throat as the hand flew to her mouth. Immediately, Edd was on her, much to Jonathan's dismay, and asked what was wrong. She feigned innocence and said that she didn't know that she just suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. She looked at Jonathan with that mischievous glint in her eyes. This had done well to irritate Jonathan.

"Are you okay, Nazz?" Jonathan said, masking his frustration with an overly concerned tone, "Baking something down there, perhaps?"

This time, it was Nazz's turn to look annoyed. Meanwhile Edd had looked up at Jonathan quizzically. What had 'baking' anything to do with the situation, he wondered.

"Oh, Jonathan." Nazz said in a perky voice that was teetering with withheld rage, "The only oven you have to worry about is your own."

'_Fucking bitch.'_

'_Cocksucker.'_

As dense as he was, Edd had begun to think that perhaps this had nothing to do with baking. He too started to feel the tension building up. There was definitely something more to this than meets the eye but as to what remains a mystery. However, Edd refused to be left out of the fray so he considered them for a minute or two before his eyes finally widened with realization. But of course! How could he have been so blind?

'_Oh Eddward, you can be so thick sometimes.' _Edd thought, wanting to slap himself in the face.

These two... they obviously held feelings for one another!

_**Obviously**_**.**

The heavy atmosphere was probably caused by what most people refer to as 'sexual tension'; the desire of one person to come in close intimate contact with the other. The glares they were giving each translated to nothing more than _'I want you'_. When he had reached this understanding, Edd realized how inappropriate it was to stare. Why, it would be just like peeping_! 'Naughty, naughty, naughty!'_ Edd's face turned beet red before he respectfully turned his head away. He thought it'd be best to just stay out of it.

Edd has been so caught up in all the fuss, that he had failed take note of the time. It had barely registered in his mind when the sound of the school bell ringing reached his ears. The blood drained from his face as the severity of the situation finally dawned upon him. His eyes darted to his watch.

9:30. His class was still a building away.

"DEAR LORD!" Edd exclaimed, his hands flew to his head and for a brief moment he wondered where his hat had gone. It wasn't important, he thought. The only thing he should worry about right now was getting to class before second bell lest he be marked tardy. Or worse; absent. Edd cringed. He's never played hooky before, nor was he ever planning to.

Nazz and Jonathan looked at him in surprise. They haven't realized that the bell had rung until they heard him. Nazz was the first to realize this.

"Oh, dude!" Nazz said, knowing how neurotic Edd could be when it came to punctuality. "Oh my God, your class! Oh shit, oh man."

"Nazz, please! Languange!" Edd said, distressed as ever.

"Right! Right, not helping. Sorry. I'm sorry. Get to class Double D. Go. Go!" Nazz said, ushering him down the hall.

Edd nodded rapidly and regarded Jonathan with an abrupt goodbye before darting down the hall, lugging his thick Chemistry book with him. He ended up bumping one or two people and the occasional locker as he clumsily made his way to class. He didn't even care for the fact that he was running and would probably get scolded by either a teacher or a hall monitor. There were far more at stake here (namely getting his flawless, _flawless_ records tarnished). So he ran, as fast as his scrawny legs could take him, and disappeared from Nazz's and Jonathan's sight.

Now that Edd was gone, there was a dead silence that enveloped the air around the two. Nazz still felt wary of Jonathan's motives concerning Edd so she decided to wait until he moved first before deciding on a confrontation or not. 5 minutes passed and they stood there silent and still. Students rushed past them in hopes of getting to class on time, much like Edd had moments ago. 10 minutes passed and the students grew fewer and fewer. By the time the second bell rang, the hallways became deserted.

'I hope Edd made it to class.' Nazz blankly thought.

"Well then..." Jonathan said, startling Nazz. The words weren't directed at her as it was to anyone really. It was more of an expression, much like how one would sigh upon finishing a strenuous task or when one would yawn when bedtime rolls in. He hadn't even spared Nazz a single glance before he turned his heel and started to walk away from her.

"Hold it." Nazz said. She saw how his shoulders flinched as he stopped in his tracks. His body half-turned and he looked at her with a bored/annoyed expression.

"Yes, sugar tits?"

Nazz looked about as ready to tear his eyes out. "Fuck you." She spat out the words like poison but it was as if poison was what Jonathan ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"I'd like that sweet cheeks but I don't usually... _double dip_."

It looked like Jonathan had struck her hard and pretty low at that too. She looked frustrated but it was unknown whether it was towards Jonathan or towards herself. Her face twisted, brows furrowing, nose scrunching up. She was trying hard to fight back the tears that accompanied the frustration and she became unable to look at him in the eye. Jonathan just scoffed at her before turning his back and heading off again. But Nazz was stronger than this, she knew. So she swallowed that lump in her throat before he could leave and said,

"Wait. Stop."

And Jonathan did albeit with an exasperated sigh. He turned to her and this time he asked more impatiently.

"What?" he said.

Nazz felt shaken but only for a bit before strengthening her resolve. This wasn't about her; this was about her two important childhood friends falling prey to this grimy little bastard. She just hoped as she spoke that her voice wouldn't croak.

"Look, I don't know what the _fuck_ you're planning here, Jonathan." Nazz said and pointed an accusing finger at Jonathan. "But get this, alright? If you ever even touch Double D again I'll—"

Jonathan cut her off with a sharp mocking laugh. Much harsher than the way he laughed when he was with Edd and much more... befitting of him. He moved closer to Nazz, still cackling, and then leaned into her face just as he finished laughing.

"You'll what, Nazz?"

Nazz didn't know why but even though he was this close to her, with the tip of their noses just barely brushing the other, even though he was breaking their boundaries so easily like this, she had felt her weakness for him slowly but surely drain away. Her face became impassive, devoid of any emotion really. She levelled Jonathan's mocking gaze with a steady gaze of her own. However, she made no move to answer him

Jonathan scoffed and shook his head. "I thought so."

Nazz just shrugged her shoulders idly "You're right, Jonathan."

Jonathan smirked once more. This time, he was sure he had broken her. He was just about to pull back when she added something that had made his insides freeze over;

"You're right, I wouldn't be able to do shit... but I'm sure Kev would."

Jonathan's expression dropped and although Nazz had loved the way it did, she had kept her poker face plastered on. The two held each other's gaze for what seemed like eons. If there had been anyone there to witness them staring at each other like that, they could have made the same observation as Edd.

Sexual tension.

Finally Jonathan broke away but Nazz knew it was only because he started to grow bored. Once again with neither a word nor a glance, Jonathan turned around and finally left, for good this time. Once he was gone, Nazz sighed rather loudly. That had gone better than expected, she thought. Not entirely peachy keen but at least she had gotten away with it barely unscathed. Nazz shook her head and cleared her head before heading off the opposite direction towards the field. Although she was already late for cheer practice and would probably get scolded by Skye, their head cheerleader, she knew her priorities lie elsewhere. She whipped out her phone out and began texting.

When she was done, she looked through her contacts until she finally found the name she was looking for. She waited until the little check appeared on the envelope icon before she ran to her teammates, expressing her sincerest apologies.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the other side of the school, Kevin was taking a lovely nap during Algebra II when all of a sudden he felt his pants vibrate. Out of his surprise, he suddenly jerked from his seat and exclaimed '_I di'n do nuthin'!_' His classmates burst out laughing while his teacher just shook his head disapprovingly. He gave Kevin a brief stern lecture to which Kevin had apologized before getting back to the lecture. He could still hear his classmates snickering at him but soon, they were absorbed back into the lecture. Whatever this damned text was supposed to be, it had better been worth that embarrassment. Otherwise, he'd give the sender an earful from him. With practiced ease, he slid his phone out of his pants and hid it under his desk, careful not to rouse the teacher's suspicion.

'Huh, it's from Nazz.' he thought, opening the message. It read;

saw matthews talking to DD. he looks 'interested'. be careful.

The content of the message had made Kevin's eyes widen in alarm and his stomach clenched. He didn't even realize how tightly he gripped his phone; its hinges began creaking under the pressure of his hand. He just wanted to get up and leave right there and then to go find Double D, unmindful of the fact that disturbing class again might get him into trouble. He was about to do just that when his hand suddenly vibrated.

'_What the—' _

It was his phone. Was it Nazz again? Was there something more she wanted to say? Something _worse_?

Then his heart stopped. The ID... It was from a different person. It was an unknown number but he was sure, as sure as he was that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, that it was _him_. Kevin gripped his phone tighter, as he began to read the message.

I'm sure a little birdie must have told you by now. Meet me in the boy's locker room in 5.

Immediately, he rose from his seat, rattling his chair and desk in the process and the class turned to him in bewilderment. He started heading out the door but before he could leave, his teacher had grabbed him roughly by his arm and asked,

"And where do you think _you're_ going?"

Kevin just stared blankly ahead as if he heard nothing. Then, he turned his head to the teacher in a slow arc. His expression was dark yet otherwise unreadable.

"Bathroom." he spat, without even batting an eye. The teacher was so stumped by that answer that he had unintentionally let his grip on the redhead loosen. Kevin took this opportunity and shoved off the teacher's hand before making a mad dash down the hall.

End of Chapter 3

A/N: And so the plot thickens unnecessarily xD lol. AHH. That was nice. Writing that was a lot of fun. Sure, I've wasted precious sleep time writing it but was totally worth it. Also, I wasn't really planning on Kev making an appearance this chapter but he kinda slipped in at the last minute lol.

ANYWAY! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THE 60+ FOLLOWS AND FAVS! (where are my reviews tho? Lol) Also, I almost shat myself when I saw that **mama ac1d** was one of those who faved and followed this story. I AM NOT WORTHY. ; -;

Thank you so much guise. I hope this chapter was enjoyable and wasn't too much of a turn off you. Still, hoping you enjoyed tho. (Am I coming off as a bit desperate right now? Okay, shutting up.)

More to come! Bye.


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